FUMACIOUS – CURATOR – JDADA 2019

“Fashion is above all, an art of Change”
—- JOHN GALLIANO —-

Designer Dikshita Hiran’s collection “Fumacious” means “smoky” and has been inspired by Fumage Art which is a surrealist art technique. The impressions created by the technique are made by the smoke of a candle or kerosense lamp on a piece of paper or  canvas. The designer has used the fumage technique to acquire the same result on fabric.

The designer has curated fumage art through her collection. Fumage art was popularised by Wolfgang Paalen and one of the most famous practitioners of fumage was Salvador Dali who coined the term “fumage”. It is a Smokey, figurative, and engaged art. The impressions are made by the smoke of a candle or kerosene lamp on a piece of paper or canvas. Artists mostly use this technique to talk about life’s fragility and also raise awareness for global and environmental issues. The technique can be used alone or in combination with traditional painting techniques to add more form and meaning to the images that are created. The images produced are often more delicate, intricate and interesting than anything that could be produced using charcoal alone. The effects can be stunning and very interesting.

The designer experimented with the technique of fumage on soft cotton fabric, to create abstract prints and patterns as the effect on cotton would be clear. Apart from fumage, the designer has also incorporated quilting technique on her garments. The colours used for the collection are shade of green, brown and white.